by Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY

by Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY

Seth MacFarlane is not preparing an acceptance speech for his Oscar-nominated song Everybody Needs a Best Friend.

The first-time Oscar host and nominee says the best-song award probably will go home with Adele for the Bond theme Skyfall.

"We will lose to Adele," says MacFarlane, speaking to USA TODAY for an in-depth profile. "Don't get me wrong. As cynical a guy as I sometimes appear to be, nothing would delight me more than to walk away with that (award).

"But I don't think there's a chance in hell that we will win. But if we did, I would be as overjoyed as I can get."

MacFarlane wrote the song's lyrics and Walter Murphy composed the music for the number featured in MacFarlane's summer comedy hit Ted. Norah Jones, who sang the song on the soundtrack, will perform it again Sunday on Oscar night.

MacFarlane and Adele are both believed to be singing during the evening.

MacFarlane says he was surprised and honored to see his name on the nominations when he announced them in January.

"Walter Murphy and I really did work extremely hard on that song to try to write something that is classic and ideally timeless sounding," MacFarlane says. "We were surprised to get nominated because it's so political."

Not so surprising: that MacFarlane didn't get a nomination for the comical Thunder Buddy Song from the film.

"I think they made the right call there," he says with a laugh. "That song was written in about eight minutes."